When Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, died on 10 December 1896, he left the bulk of his considerable estate for the award of annual prizes to scientists whose discoveries had contributed “the greatest benefit to mankind.” Earlier this week, seven researchers received a life-changing call from Stockholm, to share the news that each had been awarded the Nobel Prize for 2016.

On Monday, Yoshimori Ohsumi (seen above right), professor emeritus at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, heard that he had won the prize in physiology or medicine for his description of “autophagy” – a fundamental process used by cells to degrade and then recycle parts of themselves. Unusually, he was the only person so honoured, despite the rules allowing up to three people to be recognized. When genes that control autophagy mutate they can cause a variety of disorders, including diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and cancer. Ohsumi’s discoveries have now led to intense research to develop drugs that can target autophagy in different diseases.

On 10 December 2016 – exactly 120 years after Nobel’s death – the seven men will receive their gold medals from King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden. Although speculative, it is possible that at least one of their discoveries will lead to improved methods for diagnosing and treating breast cancer.

One Response

Thanks, Kit, for this incredible news. It is mind-blowing, too, to realize that these are invisible representations of what is perceived to happen at the molecular level and a firm confirmation of the validity of the theories which scientists now take for granted. So, of course this is very relevant to mammography.
Ed